Of course, the usual suspects are Kudlowing away—using their privileged access to the Mainstream Media to convince themselves, and their backers, that the bill can be resurrected. So here are a few lessons—some worrisome, some encouraging—to keep in mind.

First, don`t forget that the powers-that-be are still powerful.The Amnesty/ Surge bill really isn`t dead yet. Harvard economist George Borjas, the leading immigration economics researcher, presciently warned Wednesday on his new blog:

Second, we`ve merely dodged a bullet—even if the Kennedy-Bush bill is a goner.

We`re a long, long way from winning the war. Beating back a bad bill isn`t the same as passing a good one.

After the triumph of the cloture vote Thursday evening, a well-wisher in Istanbul wrote to remind me of the mordant Turkish saying in response to partial good news: “Now, that leaves only three horseshoes and a horse to find.”

“But the single most powerful obstacle facing the bill is a groundswell of virulent opposition to illegal immigration — mostly among Republicans who peppered GOP lawmakers with furious criticism… Those angry critics booed Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), both bill supporters, at their state conventions. … [O]ne man shouted, `I can tell you`re for amnesty!` and stalked out. On Friday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said misinformation and anger about the bill was such that `in my 15 years I`ve never received more hate or more racist phone calls and threats.`” [Italics mine]

Fourth, note the revolutionary ability of Internet-enabled patriots to overcome the entrenched clout of the Beltway Boys.

I`ve written about immigration for over seven years (this is my 315th VDARE.com article). So I sometimes get depressed rereading, year after year in the MainStream Media, the same old fallacies. “Hey,” I`ll groan, “I debunked that on VDARE.COM back in 2001!”

A lie goes halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on.

The good news, though, is that nothing goes away on the Internet. Concerned citizens can always use Google to find articles with the facts.

And they can email those articles to friends.

Fifth, the Achilles heel of the Axis of Amnesty`s putsch was that the bill had to be posted on the Internet.

The legislation was written in secret. Committee hearings on it were blocked. It was far too long for many busy Senators and their staffers to read.

But networks of highly intelligent citizens examined it carefully and emailed each other with what they found. For example, Thursday`s VDARE.com article, Ten Reasons The Amnesty/Immigration Surge Bill Is Appalling, by `An Economist,` grew out of an email list utilized by a brilliant economist-turned-highly successful businessman, who has been devoting a lot of his extraordinary energy to immigration.

Sixth, it has become obvious over last three weeks that there is a strong correlation between one`s level of factual knowledge about immigration and one`s level of skepticism about the Kennedy-Bush Immigration Surge scheme.

Indeed, that helps explain something that baffled the clueless MSM. According to the press` interpretation of their own polls, the public thought the Kennedy-Bush plan was a swell idea. The “Gallup Guru,” Frank Newport of the Gallup Poll organization, influentially claimed on May 22: “Senate immigration bill in sync with American public opinion.”

“Within policy circles, immigration reform is viewed as vital, addressing both the growing demand for workers and the social costs of an illegal underclass. The public also generally supports the idea.”

Yet, when push came to shove, an unexpected majority of Senators ran away from the Kennedy-Bush bill—because their constituents had made clear to them over the Memorial Day break that they opposed it.

That`s opposed—NOT supported. There`s a difference.

To his credit, Gallup`s Newport looked deeper into the topic. He reported on June 6:

“Those Americans who are following the debate closely are highly likely to be opponents of the bill. Among those who know enough to have an opinion, the bill is opposed by almost a three to one margin. Among those who say they are following the news about the bill very closely, opposition outweighs support by almost a four to one margin.” [While Majority Unsure About Immigration Bill, Those With Opinion Are Strongly Opposed, Gallup News Service, June 06, 2007]

In other words, pro-amnesty pollsters manipulated the ignorant into expressing approval of the Kennedy-Bush plan by presenting them with a few carefully crafted talking points about what its sponsors claimed it would do.

Seventh and last, we`re a long way from winning—but this week shows there`s reason for hope.

To quote an 1849 poem by Arthur Hugh Clough that was a favorite of Winston Churchill`s:

SAY not the struggle naught availeth, The labour and the wounds are vain, The enemy faints not, nor faileth, And as things have been, things remain; … For while the tired waves vainly breaking Seem here no painful inch to gain, Far back, through creeks and inlets making, Comes silent, flooding in, the main. And not by eastern windows only, When daylight comes, comes in the light, In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly, But westward, look, the land is bright.